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Pettitte set for Friday after successful session

Yankees manager Joe Girardi discusses Andy Pettitte's back spasms and pushing the left-hander's next start back as a precautionary measure

By Bryan Hoch
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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte said that he threw about 40 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday and should have no issue being ready to start against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Friday evening.

Pettitte, 40, experienced back spasms after traveling back to New York from Cleveland last week, prompting the Yankees to push him back in the rotation.

The left-hander would have preferred to pitch in the series against the D-backs, as originally scheduled, but he said he understood the club's caution.

"I feel good; it was a good decision," Pettitte said. "I don't want to second-guess anybody. I'll go Friday. It's not that big of an issue. Hopefully, I'll feel great Friday."

Pettitte has looked terrific in his first two starts of the season, going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA against the Red Sox and Indians, and he expressed some concern that the long layoff might affect his command in Toronto.

"I can tell I haven't pitched," Pettitte said. "I feel strong. I'm back to square one. When I get out there Friday, it's going to be trying to control yourself when you feel a little bit strong.

"Obviously, they want to see how I feel after this, and I'll be real excited if I come in [on Wednesday] and feel really, really good and have no tightness or anything like that creep up there after I worked it as hard as I did today. So we'll see what happens."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.